Quenya 

nettë

noun. (little) girl, sister (diminutive), daughter, pretty little thing, (little) girl, sister (diminutive), ️daughter, pretty little thing

A word appearing in several sets of notes from the late 1960s having to do with Hands, Fingers and Numerals. It was related to the finger name of the fourth finger (representing the sister). Tolkien mostly glossed it either as “(little) girl” or “sister (diminutive)”, but in one placed indicated it originally meant “pretty little thing” (VT47/33) and in another that it might be used for “daughter” (VT47/15). He also gave it several derivations, from √NET “trim, pretty, dainty” (VT47/33) or the root √NETH which itself was given a variety of meanings: “sister” (VT47/12, 26, 34), “(young) woman” (VT47/15, 32, 39) or “fresh, lively, merry” (VT47/32).

Neo-Quenya: For purposes of Neo-Quenya, I think the meaning “(little) girl” is the most useful. For “sister” I would use nésa.

Changes

  • nettenette “girl” ✧ VT47/26
  • nettenette “girl” ✧ VT47/15

Cognates

  • S. neth “(little) girl; sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/14; VT47/33; VT48/06
  • S. nethig “sister, girl (diminutive)” ✧ VT48/06
  • T. netticë “sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT48/06
  • T. nettë “sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/11; VT47/14; VT47/15; VT48/06

Derivations

  • NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/12; VT47/26; VT47/32; VT47/34
  • nēthā “sister” ✧ VT47/14
    • NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/12
  • netthi “girl approaching the adult, sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/16; VT47/33; VT47/39
    • NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/15; VT47/39
  • NET “trim, pretty, dainty” ✧ VT47/33

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
NETH > nette[nettʰe] > [nette]✧ VT47/12
nēthā > nette[nettʰe] > [nette]✧ VT47/14
neth > nette[nettʰe] > [nette]✧ VT47/26
NETH > nette[nettʰe] > [nette]✧ VT47/32
netthi > nette[nettʰi] > [nettʰe] > [nette]✧ VT47/33
net > nette[nette]✧ VT47/33
net > nette[nette]✧ VT47/33

Variations

  • nette ✧ VT47/10; VT47/11; VT47/12; VT47/12; VT47/14; VT47/15; VT47/15; VT47/15; VT47/15; VT47/26; VT47/26; VT47/32; VT47/33; VT47/33; VT47/33; VT47/33; VT47/34; VT47/39; VT47/42; VT48/06
Quenya [VT47/10; VT47/11; VT47/12; VT47/14; VT47/15; VT47/26; VT47/32; VT47/33; VT47/34; VT47/39; VT47/42; VT48/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Sindarin 

neth

noun. (little) girl; sister (diminutive)

A word appearing in several sets of notes from the late 1960s having to do with Hands, Fingers and Numerals. It was related to the finger name of the fourth finger (representing the sister). Tolkien gave it a variety of glosses: “girl” (VT47/33), “little girl” (VT47/33), or as an archaic diminutive for “sister” (VT47/14; VT48/6), where it was replaced by nethig in modern speech. He also gave it several different derivations, from √NET “trim, pretty, dainty” (VT47/33) or the root √NETH which itself was given a variety of meanings: “sister” (VT47/12, 26, 34), “(young) woman” (VT47/15, 32, 39) or “fresh, lively, merry” (VT47/32).

Neo-Sindarin: For purposes of Neo-Sindarin, I think the meaning “(little) girl” is the most useful. For “sister” I would use †nîth or nethel, with nethig as the diminutive form.

Cognates

  • Q. nettë “(little) girl, sister (diminutive), daughter, pretty little thing, (little) girl, sister (diminutive), ️daughter, pretty little thing” ✧ VT47/14; VT47/33; VT48/06

Derivations

  • NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/12
  • netthi “girl approaching the adult, sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/33
    • NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/15; VT47/39
  • NET “trim, pretty, dainty” ✧ VT47/33

Element in

  • S. nethig “sister, girl (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/14; VT47/33

Phonetic Developments

DevelopmentStagesSources
NETH > neth[nettʰi] > [nettʰe] > [neθθe] > [neθθ] > [neθ]✧ VT47/12
netthi > neth[nettʰi] > [nettʰe] > [neθθe] > [neθθ] > [neθ]✧ VT47/33
net > neth[netti] > [nette] > [nettʰe] > [neθθe] > [neθθ] > [neθ]✧ VT47/33
Sindarin [VT47/14; VT47/33; VT48/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Telerin 

netticë

noun. sister (diminutive)

Changes

  • netticanettice ✧ VT47/14
  • netticanettice ✧ VT47/32

Cognates

  • S. nethig “sister, girl (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/14; VT47/15; VT47/32; VT47/32
  • Q. nettë “(little) girl, sister (diminutive), daughter, pretty little thing, (little) girl, sister (diminutive), ️daughter, pretty little thing” ✧ VT48/06

Variations

  • nettice ✧ VT47/14; VT47/14; VT47/14; VT47/32; VT47/33
  • nettica ✧ VT47/14; VT47/15; VT47/32 (nettica)
  • nettike ✧ VT48/06
Telerin [VT47/14; VT47/15; VT47/32; VT47/33; VT48/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

nettë

noun. sister (diminutive)

Cognates

  • Q. nettë “(little) girl, sister (diminutive), daughter, pretty little thing, (little) girl, sister (diminutive), ️daughter, pretty little thing” ✧ VT47/11; VT47/14; VT47/15; VT48/06

Derivations

  • NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/12
  • netthi “girl approaching the adult, sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/16; VT47/33
    • NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/15; VT47/39

Element in

  • T. netticë “sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/14; VT47/14; VT47/15; VT47/33

Variations

  • nette ✧ VT47/14; VT47/14; VT47/15; VT47/33; VT48/06
Telerin [VT47/14; VT47/15; VT47/33; VT48/06] Group: Eldamo. Published by

Primitive elvish

netthi

noun. girl approaching the adult, sister (diminutive)

Derivations

  • NETH “(young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry, (young) woman, female person; sister; fresh, lively, merry; [ᴹ√] young” ✧ VT47/15; VT47/39

Derivatives

  • Q. nettë “(little) girl, sister (diminutive), daughter, pretty little thing, (little) girl, sister (diminutive), ️daughter, pretty little thing” ✧ VT47/16; VT47/33; VT47/39
  • S. neth “(little) girl; sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/33
  • T. nettë “sister (diminutive)” ✧ VT47/16; VT47/33

Variations

  • netthī ✧ VT47/16
Primitive elvish [VT47/14; VT47/16; VT47/33; VT47/39] Group: Eldamo. Published by